Meeting Meghan. on Cascade Hall

Cepheus Princeton

September 17, 2012 1:41 PM

Meeting Meghan. by Cepheus Princeton

Over the course of the summer, Cepheus’s post-academic life had been planned out by Grandfather, though Ceph had not physically been in England during the planning. At the wedding, his parents had met some couple, the ’briars of some colour, apparently someone related to Gareth, and had begun planning out his future. Consequently, he was now betrothed to another girl he hadn’t had the “pleasure” of meeting yet. He’d found out towards the end of August after the family reunion. It was like bad news after bad news. The summer had just been downright bloody awful.

It had been simple. Come end of August, he had been called into his grandfather’s study. Cepheus’s first words were, “What did I do?” And Grandfather had replied, “We’ve arranged for your betrothal to another girl.”

Ceph was shocked, of course, and Grandfather had calmly told him her name, her whereabouts, her family origin, etcetera. Was it a good thing that she was related to Gareth? Perhaps, and perhaps not. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to have to marry someone from Gareth’s family in order to see his best mate on a regular basis. He shivered at the thought of marriage.

After weeks of trying to avoid the inevitable meeting, Father had sent him an angry owl telling him that he’d better hurry up and meet her before he got into loads of trouble and a bloody Howler. That had been motivation enough, and so Ceph had sent an owl to Meghan, inviting her to the Hall for lunch between classes. He’d tried to make his penmanship illegible so he could say she hadn’t shown, but Cepheus, unfortunately, had liked his calligraphy class so much so that he couldn’t break his neat handwriting no matter how hard he tried. It was unfortunate.

Now Cepheus was sitting in Cascade Hall looking out for a girl who fit the photograph in his hand. He tried to look around lazily, but he was strangely anxious. He knew some about this girl already. She was, thankfully, his year, though a Teppenpaw. She was somehow related to Gareth. She’d gone to the wedding over the summer, though he didn’t remember seeing her around. Thoughts of the surprisingly pleasant wedding made him lose track of his thoughts for a moment. His eyes scoured the Hall for a certain witch he’d had the pleasure of dancing with over the summer, hoping she wouldn’t get the wrong message from this meeting Cepheus was forced to conduct. He sincerely hoped Meghan wouldn’t show.

But alas, it was meant to be. A girl who looked exactly like the girl in the photo Grandfather had given him walked into the hall. He hadn’t bothered to comb his hair today and his robes weren’t the best in his wardrobe. Still nice and sharp, but not the best he could have worn. He was sort of hoping to make a bad impression just so she would hopefully throw a fit and her parents would break off the engagement. He knew his family would be immovable and unsympathetic to his plight. As he watched her enter the hall, every curse word he knew ran through his head.

Nevertheless, he had to do his duty. Cepheus waved a reluctant arm into the air, signalling to her his whereabouts. His blonde hair was askew, sticking up in strange places. He’d had to fight himself to not look his best at least for this meeting. It was torture. After meeting Meghan Brownbriar, he would rush to the nearest loo and comb his hair tidily before class.

When Meghan approached his table, Cepheus stood and gestured to the bench in front of him. “Won’t you sit down?” he asked politely, waiting for her to sit before he sat himself. Etiquette lesson number one. Bugger, he’d forgotten to ignore it. Stupid lessons! He sat stupidly for a moment. What was there to talk about with a girl one was betrothed to? No small talk came to mind, so he decided to jump right into it. “Thank you for coming. You know we’re betrothed to each other, and my father insisted that we meet. I’m not exactly sure of what to expect from you and your family, honestly, since that’s my grandfather’s matter. But I suppose we’d better be friends of sorts. I suppose. Or, at the very least, acquaintances.”

Thoughts of the brunette came to mind and he quickly lowered his voice. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to keep our betrothal a secret for now. Break it to the public bit by bit, you understand.” There were motives, of course, but he wasn’t about to tell all to a girl he’d just met. There were ways that especially nosy pure-bloods would get a hold of the news, but otherwise he didn’t want it to spread to certain individuals. He began to pile food onto his plate and poured himself a cup of pumpkin juice. He paused suddenly, and then looked at her more carefully. “Were you the one who flew on a broom for the concert last year?”

40 Cepheus Princeton Meeting Meghan. 216 Cepheus Princeton 1 5

Megan Brownbriar

September 22, 2012 1:17 PM

Meeting Cepheus by Megan Brownbriar

Megan had spent the whole summer being forced to watch the littles. Of course she loved them, just like an older sister should, but she wanted her alone time too. She was getting older, and had things she just wanted to do, like practicing flying, but her father had somehow found a way to prevent her from doing just that. She’d spent months herding the littles around, hearing their questions and little chatter until her father pulled her into the office one day. Walking into the room, Meggie saw that her grandfather was in there as well. She hadn’t seen him since the Wedding in the middle of the summer, so she worried a little bit why he was coming to see her.

“Grandfather?” she asked, curious to know why he had come to their house. “What’s the matter?” She’d been polite, knowing that her stunt the year before (which she still did not regret) had to have hurt her relationship with her father and grandfather. The flying she’d done at the Concert was wonderful at the time, but that didn’t mean that it had truly been a good idea…

The head of her family didn’t say anything, just looked at her father who told her that she’d been betrothed. “What?” was her shocked question. “Betrothed?” she repeated, still in shock.

“But-” she started. Her grandfather shook his head at her, stood up and walked towards the door. He turned around and said one phrase.

“You are old enough to make us proud.”

He left the room and slammed the door shut. Meggie looked at her father quizzically. He pointed his finger at the door, which told her that he was done with her as well for the time being. Leaving the room herself, she walked off to hide in her room. The end of the summer brought a happier Meggie. She got to leave the house to go back to school. The only thing now, was that her father and grandfather had decided the littles would NOT attend Sonora due to her.

She glared at them when she’d found that out. She’d hoping Nia and the others would come to school with her, she loved her siblings and she always had. It’s all cause of me… I’m such a problem, even Gareth probably doesn’t like me anymore… she thought to herself as she left for the wagon.

***

School had started and still she hadn’t met this boy she was betrothed to. She knew that he went to school there at Sonora, and that he was Gareth’s friend, but she’d never really crossed circles with him. One day she got an owl from him asking her to meet him in Cascade Hall for lunch between classes. She’d responded to him saying that she would be there.

Getting dressed up was something she knew was appropriate for the day at hand, so she put on a long black skirt and a silver top with black buttons down the front and ¾ sleeves. Her light blonde hair was pinned up, her blue eyes were dull beneath her black framed glasses and her gold watch on the chain lay neatly between her collar bones. The clicking of the hands of time was what kept the third year Teppenpaw together half of the time. It was reminiscent of the beating of her mother and lost baby sibling’s hearts, and that was what she needed most right then.

She felt like a failure to her mother, and she hated herself for it.

Anxiety in the thirteen year old had mounted to a clear high. Higher than she’d been the year before on the broom at the Concert. Her clammy hands shook and her heart beat fast next to the watch as she walked in the door, holding a photograph her father had handed her before she’d left home this year. Glancing down at it, she wondered what this boy was like, if he’d like her, if she even CARED if he liked her or not. Gareth had told her that Cepheus was on his Houses’ Quidditch team and that made Meggie kind of excited too. If he played, maybe he wouldn’t have a problem with his betrothed playing as well?

Excitement and anxiety ruled the day for the blonde, so when she saw his arm signaling to her, she walked closer. As she got to him, she saw that his blonde hair wasn’t really combed as far as she could tell, and she wondered if he had to TRY to look like that. She’d spent all this time primping herself up for him, even though all she wanted to do was put on a pair of jeans and grab a broom, so why couldn’t he have the same consideration?

Cepheus stood and gestured to the bench in front of him. “Won’t you sit down?”

She did as he’d asked and gestured herself that he should sit down as well.

“Thank you for coming. You know we’re betrothed to each other, and my father insisted that we meet. I’m not exactly sure of what to expect from you and your family, honestly, since that’s my grandfather’s matter. But I suppose we’d better be friends of sorts. I suppose. Or, at the very least, acquaintances.”

“I suppose we can try…” she said, wondering exactly what was going on here. It didn’t really look like he even wanted to BE THERE with her, not to mention marry her when they’re older.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to keep our betrothal a secret for now. Break it to the public bit by bit, you understand.”

Meggie nodded to Cepheus, she wasn’t thrilled about the idea of being betrothed either, but if the other half of the couple didn’t want it known either, why should it be? “That’s fine…” she said, still wondering if there was a reason for his comment, of if it was more of an uncomfy thing for him.

She kept on watching him as he piled food onto his plate and he poured himself a glass of juice. He turned to her and she looked away right off the bat so he wouldn’t notice that she’d been looking at him.

“Were you the one who flew on a broom for the concert last year?”

“Uhm, yeah… Did you see it?” she asked, wondering what he felt about that too…

0 Megan Brownbriar Meeting Cepheus 0 Megan Brownbriar 0 5

Cepheus

September 22, 2012 2:08 PM

Well, this is awkward. by Cepheus

The fact that Megan wore glasses was a bit off-putting, to say the least. No one in his immediate family wore glasses. His grandfather wore spectacles when he read, but that was all. Cepheus simply added it to his list of things he didn't like about his betrothed. He wasn't sure if she had tried to dress up or not, but he noted critically that she didn't seem to enjoy wearing colours, nor was she wearing standard wizard's robes. Father would have a fit if he knew that Megan wore Muggle clothes on their first meeting. On second thought, it might be a good idea to let that slip in his next letter.

When Cepheus looked up, she immediately looked away, and he wondered if she had been watching him. He was good-looking, he had no qualms about admitting that fact. His hair was a bit long now, but he'd get it cut soon enough. Megan seemed hesitant about admitting that she had flown at the concert, and he wondered if she had been chastised for it. He had heard so many rumours going around just about her conduct and daring and how irresponsible and reckless it was. It was not something a lady was supposed to do. Cepheus knew that only because his mother refused to play Quidditch.

However, one of Cepheus's best friends back home was an avid Quidditch player. She went to Hogwarts and was on the team for them, and yet he still considered her respectable. He enjoyed her company and it made playing with her fun even if she was the only girl amongst the boys. He could respect her for that. Being surrounded by snotty pure-blood girls was not Cepheus's ideal, and Emma had proved that she was not as snotty as the others. Cepheus wondered briefly if Megan was the sort of girl who would play Quidditch too, or if she even knew how to. Still, he remembered that being reckless was not something his family would appreciate. He noted that down too. If he wasn't going to be forced to marry this girl someday, he might've wanted to be her friend.

"Of course," he replied. "I was at the concert. And if I hadn't been, I most certainly would have heard about it. You created quite a scandal." He raised his eyebrows at her before buttering some bread. "It's not to say it wasn't, well, impressive," he continued without looking at her, "but I wouldn't suggest doing it again. Professors and Headmistresses aren't exactly fans of scandal, and neither is my family." He looked at her then and bit into his bread. He thought about mentioning the fact that he wasn't disgusted by the fact that she had created a scandal, but he thought better of it.

Cepheus did realise that Megan was most likely just as nervous as he was, though Cepheus was feeling more at ease now that he saw that she seemed more nervous. He wondered what this betrothal meant exactly for her. He wanted to critique her outfit, and thinking of outfits made him think of the wedding he'd attended in the summer again. Instead, he looked back down at his plate and took another bite of his food. Then he noticed Megan's plate looked fairly empty, and he looked at her again from under his eyebrows. "Aren't you going to eat? Don't tell me you're on a diet or something ridiculous like that." Georgina was always going on diets, as did his mother. Girls were so strange and so vain.

Cepheus needed something to write back to his father about, so he thought of some appropriate questions he could ask. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asked. He thought about asking about her parents as well, or about where she was located, but he could interrogate her later. Interrogation was almost always more worthwhile when done subtly.

OOC: Is it "Megan" or "Meghan"? Also, she's English, correct? I just want to make sure.

0 Cepheus Well, this is awkward. 0 Cepheus 0 5

Meggie

October 01, 2012 11:02 PM

Will it stay awkward? by Meggie

Megan felt very professional, even lady-like in her glasses, if she could say so herself. She had been having a fight within herself on whether she should wear her robes to the meeting with Cepheus, but they were to meet in Cascade Hall, a common ground, one where many people wore street clothes as far as she had seen. Today, she figured, would have been no different. The pair sat across from each other in the Hall, she’d stared towards him, and as she saw him look towards her, she immediately looked away.

Megan had been spoken to for a long time by her father over the holiday about what she’d done at the concert, so when Cepheus had asked her if she’d been the one to have done the flying at the concert, she wasn’t sure how she should answer. The third year knew it had been her, but admitting it to him could be bad. It could also be good though, so she let it slip that it was her. When she’d asked him if he’d seen it, she was hoping to get a positive answer to her question. Her entire self wanted nothing more than for him to be okay with the fact that she wanted to fly through the sky. Even if he wouldn’t let her play Quidditch, she hoped she would be allowed to fly…

There was something about being high in the sky that made her adrenaline pour out of her in any and every way possible. It was a great feeling, a feeling of true freedom in her eyes. One where there was no restrictions, nobody or nothing to stop you from living. It was pure life to be on a broom, and she LOVED it!

"Of course, I was at the concert. And if I hadn't been, I most certainly would have heard about it. You created quite a scandal."

It was then that she realized it wouldn’t be such a good answer to her question. He raised his eyebrows and buttered the bread in front of him as he went on. "It's not to say it wasn't, well, impressive, but I wouldn't suggest doing it again. Professors and Headmistresses aren't exactly fans of scandal, and neither is my family."

He had looked away from her until the last word he’d spoken. When he looked back at her, she looked down at her lap. “So the headmistress and professors aren’t happy, it is what it is, I suppose. My question is though, is what do YOU think about it…?” she asked, heart pounding harder and harder as each word passed through her mouth.

Her nerves were climbing to a dangerous level now.

What if he doesn’t like it? But what if he does? she thought as she watched him eat. She’d not realized that she had nothing in her plate until he asked her if she was going to eat, mentioning about some diet or whatever.

“Oh, uhm, no I’m not on a diet. I just hadn’t thought even about food…” she started. Should I just tell him? she added to herself. Yeah… “Uhm… I’m really kinda nervous actually. When I’m nervous or upset it’s really hard for me to eat…” she added to him before he started in with the questions.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

“Yes, I have three brothers and three sisters. Meuric, Nye and Owena are away at Hogwarts. Then Nia, Pryce and Lowri are younger than I am.” she answered. “Do you?” she asked, calming down at least a little bit, just thinking about her siblings. She felt instantly worse again though when she realized that Nia wouldn’t be joining her here next year, all because of her own stupidity… She sighed and just about hated herself right there for it.

0 Meggie Will it stay awkward? 0 Meggie 0 5

Cepheus

October 03, 2012 12:38 PM

As of now...most likely. by Cepheus

Cepheus was taken off-guard by Megan's question. What did his opinion matter if the headmistress and the professors weren't happy with her? If his parents and family members weren't happy with her either, then Cepheus's opinion most certainly didn't matter. He raised his eyebrows at her question, unsure of what she was looking for, exactly. Some way for them to relate? Some sort of congratulations for her scandalous piece of work? Cepheus wasn't about to give her that satisfaction, nor was he going to commend her on her efforts. It was one thing for a lady to play Quidditch, another thing to risk suspension with reckless behaviour during the concert.

Still, he didn't want to completely tear her down. Being able to see how nervous she was tugged slightly on his heartstrings. "I wouldn't suggest you doing it again," was all he said, not giving away his own personal opinion. That would be treading into dangerous waters, her seeking his approval. Merlin, they sounded like a bloody couple already. The thought hardened his resolve to try and get out of this.

Cepheus was glad that Megan wasn't one of those silly girls, but not to even think about food was a bit surprising too. He stared at her as she confessed that she was nervous. She was the most straight-forward pure-blood girl he had ever come into contact with, besides Emma, of course. Most girls tip-toed around certain topics, especially their feelings in order not to be left vulnerable and an easy target for the harsh community.

Megan was surprising him, but he wasn't sure if it was in a good way or not yet. He hadn't known how to respond to her comment, so he went on with his questions. Knowing she had loads of brothers and sisters explained her trusting behaviour with him. Cepheus was stiff and, though he could be kind, he was mostly always on his guard because he was the first-born. He was the one who was supposed to lead his brothers through the muck of the world. Later on, he would be the one leading his entire family through the muck. It was a frightening thought, but Cepheus had been groomed for the role since he was born. He was in no way ready to take it quite yet, but he would be in several years.

Megan turned the question on him, and Cepheus nodded. "I have two brothers, Rupert and Leo. Rupert's here at Sonora with me and Leo will be here in two years or so. I've got loads of relatives at Hogwarts. My best friends go there now. One of my relatives is on the board of governors, but I'm not exactly sure which one." Knowing that his family had a long history with the school had made coming to Sonora more difficult. He wouldn't be following the tradition by going to the traditional school. His grandfather's decision to send the future patriarch to an American school was odd, but, again, Cepheus, as the eldest, was to pave the way for the Princetons to come to America. Though, if his father's research was to believe, there had been some Princeton blood planted in America already.

Cepheus began eating his food again, and then paused, thoughtfully chewing for a moment. After he was ready to speak, he asked, "Where are you located? In Wales, like Gareth?" Posing visits to his betrothed could easily be turned to visits to his room-mate if that were the case. He was certain his family members wouldn't even know the difference.

0 Cepheus As of now...most likely. 0 Cepheus 0 5

Meggie

October 18, 2012 1:26 PM

It doesn't have to... by Meggie

When he looked back at her, she looked down at her lap. “So the headmistress and professors aren’t happy, it is what it is, I suppose. My question is though, is what do YOU think about it…?” she asked, heart pounding harder and harder as each word passed through her mouth.

He looked like she’d taken him off guard with her question and he raised his eyebrows at her. "I wouldn't suggest you doing it again," was his response.

She sighed and her nerves climbed ever higher. It seemed to her, that he was basically telling her that he didn’t approve. The question was, what it was that he didn’t approve of in the first place. Was it that he didn’t approve of her choice of things to do at the concert? That he didn’t want her flying? Or just plainly, her in general.

Megan wondered what her life would be like and wished that she knew what this change would mean for her. Yes, her brother Nye was betrothed, but they went to different schools. Nye, being at Hogwarts and his betrothed, here, with her, at Sonora. He didn’t have the problem she was having, but she knew that the person to ask about something like this was either going to be her brother, or even his betrothed…

When she revealed that she was nervous, he looked at her again as if she’s surprising him more and more as they sat there. He asked her if she had brothers and sisters and she responded with the list of her siblings. Talking about them helped her to feel better, but only for a second. Merlin’s beard, I’ve been so stupid… she thought to herself as she sighed. She wanted nothing more right then to be with Nia, or have Nia be with her. She missed her sister more than life itself. Maybe if I fix myself and show father I did, maybe he’ll let her come after all? she wondered to herself. She hoped beyond all hopes that what she thought about could happen and vowed right then and there to never put another toe out of line again.

Even if it meant that she wouldn’t fly ever again.

Meggie shook her head and brought herself back to the hall by asking Cepheus if he had any siblings.

Cepheus nodded. "I have two brothers, Rupert and Leo. Rupert's here at Sonora with me and Leo will be here in two years or so. I've got loads of relatives at Hogwarts. My best friends go there now. One of my relatives is on the board of governors, but I'm not exactly sure which one."

Megan heard him talk about his family and saw his confusion, though she didn’t let him know she’d seen it. She was going to be a good girl from then on, she would be a nice pureblood lady, whether she liked it or not.

Cepheus started eating again, paused a moment and asked where she was located. “Yes, we are in Wales, both Gareth and I.” she answered, wanting to know why, but not daring to ask.

0 Meggie It doesn't have to... 0 Meggie 0 5

Cepheus

October 19, 2012 11:12 AM

I'll be uncomfortable if it gets too comfortable. by Cepheus

It was clear this conversation wasn't going to go much further. Cepheus wished he didn't have to do this right now. What he really wanted to do was eat in peace or laugh at things with his friends. The burden of being betrothed was weighing on his shoulders now and he really didn't want it any more. Cepheus thought mournfully of how lucky his cousins were that they didn't have to think about getting betrothed. Even the girls could marry whoever they wanted, so long as the wizard they chose was within the Princeton standards. Not so for poor, poor Cepheus.

He was glad that both Gareth and Megan were in Wales, and he made a mental note of it. This summer, he would get to see his room-mate more often while using Megan as an excuse. His family would most likely get the wrong idea and think that he actually liked her, but it would be worth it. His marriage to Megan was inevitable anyway. His summers would now be filled with Quidditch and running around with his best mate instead of French lessons and loads of letters.

Cepheus cleared his throat. With his voice on the brink of changing, it was liable to crack at any moment and that would be beyond embarrassing. "Do you fly often?" he asked, trying not to look too curious. He knew his family wouldn't care a bit if she was a flyer, but he knew other pure-blood families did and would. From the way the school had taken her flying, the pure-bloods here weren't very lenient with witches on brooms. He found that odd, and was glad yet again that he didn't live in a family where girls were expected to sit and always look pretty. Well, they were supposed to, but they were also vicious when they wanted to be. His mum was one of the most intelligently conniving people he knew.

A thought struck him then, and he looked up at Megan again. "Are you the only one of your siblings that's going to come here? Or are your younger siblings coming too?" Cepheus was very glad he didn't have loads of siblings. He couldn't imagine having an entire clan in one generation, like the Thorntons, or having six siblings like Megan apparently did. It was maddening. Cepheus only had two younger brothers, and they drove him up the wall most of the time. At least the estate gave the younger boys enough space to wreak havoc anywhere Cepheus wasn't. Thank Merlin.

0 Cepheus I'll be uncomfortable if it gets too comfortable. 0 Cepheus 0 5